A trial of six KSU advanced selections, three trees of each, was started in June of 2011 by Marc Stadler in Urbana, Ohio as part of the new KSU Pawpaw Regional Variety Trial is ongoing.
Ken Waters, Versailles KY, started an additional pawpaw trial with 25 trees.
Pawpaw trials with three new pawpaw cultivars were started in 2009 and 2010 with growers Sandy Deutsch (Deutsch Farm LLC), Al Rider (Summer Rain Farms), Larry Ayres (Ayres Family Orchard; http://www.ayresapples.com), Erik Walles (Berries on Bryan Station CSA Farm, www.BerriesOnBryanStation.com), and Jeremy Hinton (http://www.hintonsorchard.com), Ron Powell (grower in Cincinnati), Ilze Sillers (Daneli Farm; pawpaw grower in Versailles); is ongoing.
I am an invited member of the Ohio Pawpaw Growers Association and I attended and made a presentation at their spring workshop on May 22, 2010.
Board member, The PawPaw Foundation, a non-profit organization
Board member and Newsletter Editor of the Kentucky Nut Growers Association. Kirk Pomper attended the Kentucky Nut Growers Association board meeting and general membership meeting on April 24th, 2010.
A trial of the pawpaw selections 2-7, 2-11, and 8-2 began in 2001 and continues with plantings at with growers: Fred Leport (Campbellsburg, KY), Judy Isaacs (Frankfort, KY), Rachael Peake (Frankfort, KY), Julian R. Perkins (Frankfort, KY), Biff Baker (Frankfort, KY), Ceri Geissinger (Frankfort, KY), Jack Kuhn (Frankfort, KY), Kim Nicholson (Lancaster, KY), Robert & Susan Laurenson (Frankfort, KY), Richena Holbert (Louisville, KY), Ronald McIntosh (Stanton, KY), Linda Ison (Crestwood, KY), and Ron Powell (Cincinnati, OH).
We continue collaborative relationships this with Sandy Deutsch (Deutsch Farm LLC), Al Rider (Summer Rain Farms) and Ken Waters (small farmer) for placement of blackberry trials.
10 people have volunteered to host hazelnut trials in 2011.
SARE and EA cooperative research relationships continue with the pawpaw growers Mr. Bill Mackintosh and Neal Peterson of Berryville, VA, Mr. Roland McIntosh of Stanton, KY, Mr. Lesley Sanderson of Maxton, NC, Ms. Ilze Sillers of Versailles, KY, Mr. Berry Lane of Waddy, KY, Dr. Ron Powell of Cincinnati, OH, and Douglas Archbold of Lexington, KY, for the placement of organic production experiments and rootstock trials.
ongoing.
KSU has entered into agreements with seven nurseries (Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery, One Green World, Hartmann's Plants, Hidden Springs, Blossom Nursery, Forrest Keeling Nursery, and Peaceful Heritage Nursery) to produce and sell KSU-Atwood™ and pay a royalty of $1 per tree sold to KSU.
EA collaboration with Dr. Bill Keller of Nature's Sunshine Products, Spanish Forks, Utah, who is assisting us in screening for high and low acetogenin fruit selections.
Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery (Upton, KY) and One Green World Nursery (Molalla, OR), and Hartmann's Plant Company (Michigan) propagating and will be selling KSU-Atwood. Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery also desires to collaborate on the testing and propagation of new hazelnut and KSU pawpaw selections.
Jim Gilbert, owner of One Green World Nursery. His nursery is selling KSU-Atwood™. He would like to try additional pawpaw selections in Oregon for fruit production and potentially sell these selections through his nursery for KSU.
KSU Collaborators. I have active EA and competitive grant funding for collaborative research efforts with Dr. Tom Webster with Nosema apis infection in worker and queen bees; EA and CBG collaborations with Drs. Tidwell, and Gomelsky in molecular genetics in various fish species and fresh water prawn germplasm. Dr. Wang and Dr. Kobayashi and I have collaborative research projects in pawpaw acetogenin bioavailability and in the identification of pawpaw genotypes with high fruit antioxidant capacity. Dr. Sedlacek and I collaborated on pawpaw pest and blackberry pest insects. Dr. Marion Simon and I collaborate on Third Thursday Workshop and fruit and vegetable processing initiatives. I am a member of the KSU Organic Working Group.
1. Pomper, K., J. Vincent, J. Lowe., S. B. Crabtree, 2017. Ploidy Level of American Persimmon in Kentucky: Could It Impact Production Strategies for Seedless Fruit? American Society for